A: Nearly 2.1 million Americans age 50 and older have late AMD, the stage that can lead to severe vision impairment. In 2010, 9.1 million Americans had early AMD.[3] By age 80, one in ten Americans has late AMD, which is more common in women than in men.[4]

The number of people in the United States with diabetes is increasing. More than 29 million Americans have diabetes. About 27% of those with diabetes—8.1 million Americans—do not know they have the disease. Diabetes affects 12.3% of adults age 20 and older.[6]

A: There were 48,229 corneal transplants performed in the United States in 2013. Since 1961, more than 1,000,000 men, women and children ranging in age from nine days to 100+ years, have had their sight restored through a corneal transplant.[9]

Q: How many people in the United States get eye infections each year?

A: Nearly a million eye infections that require a trip to the doctor or hospital happen each year, many of them related to contact lens use.[10]

Visual Impairment and Blindness

Q: How many people in the United States are legally blind?

A: Nearly 1.3 million Americans age 40 and older are legally blind.[11] (Defined as best-corrected visual acuity worse than or equal to 20/200 in the better-seeing eye.)

A: More than 2.9 million Americans age 40 and older have low vision.[12] (Defined as best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40; this number excludes those who are legally blind.)

Q: How many people in the United States are visually impaired?

A: Nearly 4.2 million Americans age 40 and older are visually impaired.[13] (Defined as best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/40 in the better-seeing eye; this number includes both those with low vision and those who are legally blind.)

A: Approximately 8% of men and 0.5% of women among populations with Northern European ancestry have the most common form of color blindness that makes it hard to see red or green. The incidence of this condition is lower in almost all other populations studied.[14]

A: This refractive error occurs in about 1 in 3 people and may occur in combination with near- or farsightedness. It causes blurry vision and is due to the cornea being less than perfectly rounded.[17]

Q: How many Americans wear some type of corrective eyewear?

A: More than 150 million Americans use corrective eyewear to compensate for refractive errors. Americans spend more than $15 billion each year on eyewear.[18]